Passionate Librarian
by Passionate Cec
Summary: How did Helen and John's relationship begin? The magic of a young love that conquers even the most powerful rules of society.


Hi guys. This is a little story which idea I got while writing _The Keys to Happiness_. In that story, I mention John and Helen's first kiss hidden behind a shelf in Nikola's library. This is it. It turned out so different from what I expected but I like it. I hope you will too. :)

As usual, Sanctuary, Helen Magnus and John Druitt don't belong to me. I make no money with this story. Its sole purpose is entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

Let me know what you think about this story. :) Reviews make my day. :D

Enjoy. :)

**Passionate Librarian**

Helen precariously balanced the book she was holding. Getting down the ladder with the book and her dress would be quite the task, but she wasn't one to back down from a challenge and she decided she was perfectly capable of achieving that task. And she was alone so there was no risk of making a fool of herself. Just as she thought that, she managed to step on her dress and started falling backwards.

She let go of the very heavy book, which landed square on her foot before continuing its descent towards the ground. That didn't do much, except make her lose her balance further more as she did not manage to hold onto anything to stop her fall. She mentally prepared for the land and already started diagnosing her future injuries. She would be falling a good four feet, landing square on her back on hardwood floor. Her ribs would most certainly not appreciate it and she already expected at least one fracture, maybe more and some quite extensive bruising. Her head might hit the ground and if it did, she would probably suffer a concussion. And if she tried to break her fall, she would undoubtedly break a wrist. If she was lucky, both of them.

So much for not making a fool of herself. Even if no one had witnessed her fall, her injuries would be telling enough to the four men she worked with.

Helen winced and tried to plot the course of action that would result in the least injuries when her back came in sudden contact with a surface that was most certainly not the hard and unforgiving ground of Nikola Tesla's library. She gasped, her hands grasping onto the arms that circled her waist, settling over her abdomen and steadying her against the chest they were attached to. The woman gasped again when the owner of said arms and chest lifted her off the step of the ladder and gently set her back on the ground. The arms only barely loosened around her frame, hands holding her up, making sure she was steady on her feet. Which she wasn't. _Darn, the book had hurt!_ There was no real damage but she did stumble when she tried to put some weight on her left foot. Hands settled on her waist again to make sure she didn't fall.

Disregarding her lack of balance, Helen swiflty turned around and found herself looking straight into the blue eyes of one John Druitt. Their bodies were pressed together and their faces closer than she had expected. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart started racing against her ribcage. Lately, a simple glance from him could have her flustered for the whole afternoon. To find herself so close to him had her body do things to her that she never knew it could do. Her knees felt weak but she put that on the count of the fall he had just saved her from. There was a… fluttering in her stomach that felt oh-so lovely but she really wished she could put an end to and a heat in her cheeks that she desperately hoped didn't show. That, however, was quite unlikely. Her fair skin had always shown the slightest blushing on her part. The slightest pulling at the corner of his lips indicated that she was right.

'John.' She gasped again.

'Helen.' He answered with a slight smirk that she really wanted to wipe off. But to her surprise, a slap wasn't the first thing that came to mind. On the contrary. 'Quite the fall you were about to make.'

'Yes. These dresses hardly make moving an easy task.'

'I don't doubt that.'

And there was the smirk again. Helen tried glaring at him, pulling away slightly, her hands settling on his forearms when he didn't remove his arm from around her. The effect of the look seemed lost on him. Their eyes were strained on one another. Helen had never seen John look at her that intensely and the effect was breathtaking. She had always loved his eyes. The minutes they met she had seen how much one glance from the man could convey but never had she wanted to drown in those eyes as much as she did right then.

'John.' She whispered. 'You might want to let go of me.' She smiled sweetly.

'Now, dearest, why would I want to do such a foolish thing?' She cocked her head to the side, a surprised yet curious look on her face. 'It's not every day that one man has the pleasure of holding a woman such as you, Helen.'

She smiled, however shocking his revelation was. There might be hope still that she wasn't alone in her admiration and affection for him. If she thought about it, the looks she received from him were quite exceptionnal, she had never seen him look like that at anyone else. John Druitt had never failed to make her feel special. And he didn't look intend on stopping now. More than once, when turning around and catching his eyes, Helen had caught him looking at her, a look in his eye she couldn't quite describe or name, the slightest smile pulling at the corners of his lips. He never seemed to mind that she had caught his staring and had made it quite clear that he liked what he saw and would gladly forget about their current experiment to admire her for a while longer.

She felt one of his hands slowly moving up her back and she offered him a small smile. If his words, the look on his face and the fluttering in her stomach were any indication they both liked being where they were very much. And she really didn't have it in her to pull away from him. The feeling of his arms around her body really felt far too good. She leaned back into him, her hands gently moving up his arms and across his broad shoulders to settle against the back of his neck, under his dark hair.

Their faces were so close she could see every single detail in his blue eyes. The slightly darker circle that rimmed his irises, making them appear deeper, more profound. The barely visible flecks of lighter blue in them. His eyes were even more mesmerizing than she had first thought and she knew then that she could spend the rest of her days drowning in them. The saying suddenly made so much more sense to her. Especially when talking about John's eyes. They were as blue as the Atlantic ocean on a beautiful, warm, sunny summer day, as icy as the snow covering the streets in London in the middle of the winter. And yet, at that moment, looking at her, they were warm enough to melt the Artic. The contrast was so breathtaking it sent a shiver down her spine. She had now doubt he felt it and he responded by barely tightening his hold on her for an instant. It was so brief she thought she might have dreamed it.

Her lids slid shut and she sighed when she felt John's hand slipping under her blond locks to cup the back of her neck, his hand mirroring hers. The loss of the connection between their eyes was worth it as she enjoyed the new sensation of this man's fingers working their instant magic on her tense muscles. She felt his breath against the skin of her face as he leaned down just a tad bit more. Just enough to leave her knees shaking from the sheer intensity of the hardly present touch but far enough that the few inches separating them felt like a the deepest precipice.

Helen felt the softest touch of his lips against her cheekbone and leaned into it, one hand tightening around the back of his neck as the fingers of the other one slid through his black locks, dislodging the carefully placed bow. His lips moved up the side of her face, towards her temple, lingering there a little while, leaving a few feather light kisses on the sensitive skin, before moving back down to her ear. He dropped a gentle kiss just beneath her earlobe. Helen gasped. The touch was so soft and yet it brought a burning sensation all over her body, her blood boiling in her veins, her heart beating ever faster. And his lips hadn't even touched hers yet.

Somehow, Helen finally understood that romance novel she had once picked up out of pure curiosity. She had promptly put it back where it belonged – on a shelf in a library – thinking the sensations described by the author far too ridiculous and unbelievable. _Maybe love really did create those overwhelming emotions._ John moved back up slightly, his lips against her ear, his cheek leaning against hers, his breath blowing into her hair, leaving her shivering with pleasure and expectation.

'Sweet Helen.' He murmured, his breath stroking her skin. 'So beautiful.'

His lips trailed down her neck, spending a particular amount of time on the spot where her neck met her shoulder, his tongue darting out once or twice, leaving her gasping for air. They really shouldn't be doing this, whatever it was. Much less in a place as public as this library, but bloody hell, it felt amazing enough to be considered Heaven. And if Helen were to die right then, there was nothing she would rather be doing, no matter how little she was actually doing.

He moved back up, his lips never leaving her fair and flushed skin. Finally he reached her face and took to kissing every inch of it. The sensations were incredible to her and were they not so new, Helen would already have grabbed his face to guide his lips to hers, kissing him thouroughly, showing him how much he affected her and bringing him into a similar state. But she enjoyed the sweet torture he was putting her through. As much as she wanted his lips on hers as soon as possible, the soft and incredibly delicate touches were melting her and she wouldn't mind spending a short eternity on the receiving end of his kisses.

Finally, after thouroughly kissing her cheeks, forehead, eye lids, his lips approached hers. First, it was just a genlte touch against the corner of her mouth. Soon however she made her disapproval known and pulled him closer to her, their lips crashing together. She grinned against his soft, questing lips, and felt the slightest tugging at the corners of his mouth. After what seemed like forever, the soft kisses became more longing and when John gently nibbled at her lower lip, without a second thought, she granted him access with a moan of approval when his tongue joined his teeth and pushed its way past her lips. Again, Helen felt herself melt and lean into him as much as she possibly could, bringing their bodies so much closer.

The kiss brought a world of new sensations to her. Feelings she had never imagined a human being could feel overwhelmed her. And here she was, hidden behind a shelf in Nikola Tesla's library, being thouroughly kissed by John Druitt. Never had she felt emotions and sensations as intense. Her skin was on fire, and Helen desperately wished every inch of it could be kissed by the man holding her in his arms. She had no doubt the man himself had much to do with the intensity of the sensations and she doubted any other man could make her feel quite as good.

When he pulled back, his lips still lingering at the corner of hers, she refused to let him go. Maybe she refused to face the reality of their actions that would set in all too soon. For now she was still enjoying the bliss of being held, touched, kissed by John and she refused to let that instant of pure happiness slip away. Standing on her tip toes, she tightened her arms around his shoulders, hiding her face against his neck, enjoying a scent she was still unfamiliar with and intended to memorize for ever, in case she never got the chance to experience it first hand again. The smell brought the fluttering in her stomach back full force, as did John tightening his own arms around her thin frame, one arm around her waist, holding her close to his tall and strong body, one hand against the back of her head, holding it against the side of his neck.

Helen felt John resting his head against the top of hers. He turned his face into her hair and she smiled somewhat bitterly when she felt him inhale, much the way she did. Apparently, he was memorizing her smell the way she did his. The knowledge at the same time made her grin and tightened a knot around her stomach. If he was doing that, it meant he knew just as well as she did that this was almost over, that there moment of bliss woud soon end. They had already pushed the limits far too much and the consequences could have been dire had they been caught kissing as passionately. Thankfully, they hadn't been caught and their moment had remained private, a secret between two people who had finally given into an affection that had clouded their minds and hearts for a long time.

Helen would realize later that, being caught by one of their three friends wouldn't have been as dramatic as she had first imagined. Their pushing the boundaries of science and society made for quite an odd group and, although they would have been quite surprised and would no doubt have commented on it and never let them forget the incident, they wouldn't have frowned on them the way the rest of the wolrd would have.

Helen felt John pull back from her and she reluctantly allowed him to pull away. He didn't go far though. The hand in her hair moved to cup her cheek and the one around her waist slowly trailed up her back and cupped her other cheek. The intensity in his eyes earlier had been nothing compared to the one at that moment. But Helen had no doubt it was reflected in her own eyes. She had never seen him, or any man as open as he was right then, his soul bared to her, allowing her access to his heart, mind and soul in just one glance through his eyes. She immediately saw how much her desires were shared. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, breathing in deep, though she knew he was gathering strength more than graving her scent into his memory.

'Please, my sweet Helen, tell me this isn't it.'

Without even thinking she shook her head, knowing he would feel it. His sigh of relief was what made her realize her answer. She didn't have the heart to pull her reply back, to break his heart, see the hurt she would feel reflected in the eyes she cherished so dearly. She laughed when he impulsively hugged tightly. The hug, however, was short lived as he pulled back just far enough to shower her face with kisses again, his lips finally pressing against hers and lingering for a long time. His happiness was enough for her to damn propriety and a society she already despised so much and decide to, for once, go with her heart. The few moments of bliss they had shared just made the decision that much easier. She would give anything to have that man hold her, touch her, kiss her. And knowing he felt the same way about this was the final selling point.

Her hands moved to cup his cheeks and he must have noticed how serious she was because his face was immediately overcast with a veil of worry. No doubt he thought she was changing her mind. Smiling, she shook her head and leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to his lips. Once she was certain she had reassured him again, she looked him straight in the eye again.

'John, we'll need to be discreet. At first.' She added as a second thought. She knew already that she wasn't willing to let him go, whether that afternoon or in the years to come. 'As soon as we get my father's approval, I'm certain it will all be fine.' She smiled sweetly.

'Anything for you, my love.'

Helen's smile widened at the endearment. She knew she would get to hear it quite often. And she didn't mind one bit. The feelings behind the name were so completely reflected in the voice that she could have him repeat the words to her for the rest of their lives and never get tired of hearing them.

Helen was about to lean in again when they heard footsteps approaching. Nigel Griffin called their names, obviously wondering where they had disappeared to for so long. They separated, putting an appropriate distance between them. John adjusted his hair and Helen leaned down to pick up the book. She smiled at it. The ache in her foot was nothing compared to the swell of happiness in her heart. She looked up and grinned conspirationnaly at John. Their moment might be over but there would most definitely be more to come very soon.


End file.
